News

Taddeo and Rodriguez Statement on Jeb Bush's Anti-Immigrant Remarks

Posted January 28, 2015

In response to Jeb Bush’s remarks saying that, as president, he would "politely ask" all undocumented immigrants who have overstayed their visa to leave the United States, resulting in the deportation of millions of people, Florida Democratic Party Vice Chair Annette Taddeo and Florida Democratic Hispanic Caucus Chair Vivian Rodriguez issued the following statement:

“Republicans’ tried this “self deportation" plan in 2012, and it remains just as absurd today as it was then,” said Annette Taddeo. “Jeb’s proposal of tracking down millions of immigrants and “politely” deporting them shows that he could not be more out of step with the American people on this issue. Although this anti-immigrant rhetoric may help Jeb Bush with Republican primary voters, Americans soundly rejected it in 2012 and they will do so again in 2016.”

“Jeb Bush’s call to round up and deport millions of undocumented immigrants is infeasible and smacks of Mitt Romney’s laughable ‘self deportation’ proposal,” said Florida Democratic Hispanic Caucus Chair Vivian Rodriguez. “But don’t take my word for it — just ask Jeb Bush himself. As Bush said just 5 days ago, ‘There’s no way that they're going to be deported — no one’s suggesting an organized effort to do that. The cost of that would be extraordinary.’ Clearly Jeb’s immigration plan is whatever he thinks the audience wants to hear. He can just ask Mitt Romney how that plan worked out.”